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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2021)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Saturday, June 5, 2021 Oregon’s public universities to require COVID-19 vaccinations, exemptions Oregon Institute of Technology and Eastern Oregon University state’s last public universities to announce requirement President Tom Inkso said in a statement. Eastern Oregon Univer- sity was one of the founding higher education partners in Eastern Promise. Its profes- sors work with public school teachers to ensure high schoolers are doing college- level work in college credit courses. In a board meeting last month, Insko said many students and faculty were split on the decision to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a survey. In that survey, the majority of faculty at EOU were in favor of a vaccine mandate, while the major- ity of students were against one. Eastern will officially require COVID-19 vacci- nations when the FDA fully approves one or more of the vaccines. Both Pfizer and Moderna have started the monthslong process of getting full approval, and the FDA has indicated they’re “highly likely” to be approved later in 2021. But EOU offi- cials don’t want members of the campus community waiting for that, empha- By MEERAH POWELL Oregon Public Broadcasting LA GRANDE — It’s unanimous. With recent announcements from East- ern Oregon University and the Oregon Institute of Tech- nology, all of Oregon’s public universities will be requiring COVID-19 vaccinations this fall. Oregon Institute of Technology made its a n nou nce - ment on Wednesday, Insko June 2, and EOU followed on June 3. Like all of Oregon’s other public universities, both OIT and EOU will require vaccinations for students, faculty and staff — except with legally accepted exemptions. “We deliberated this decision at length, evaluated science and public health recom mendations, and surveyed the EOU commu- nity to identify the best path to restoring a healthy, highly engaged commu- nity for those who work and learn on our campus,” EOU Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File With Eastern Oregon University announcing a COVID-19 vaccine requirement on Thursday, June 3, 2021, all of the state’s public universities now have vaccine mandates in place for this coming fall. sizing in a news release, that it “strongly encour- ages students, employees and partners to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.” EOU said it will require vaccinations for all students and employees who learn or Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY SUNDAY | Go to AccuWeather.com MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY work on campus. Students who attend class fully online and who don’t engage in any on-campus activities will not be required to be vacci- nated. “Ultimately, as with every decision related to the pandemic, we are focused on protecting the safety and health of the EOU commu- nity, and returning to a highly engaged, in-person, on-campus experience that upholds our mission and shared values,” Insko said in his statement. “We remain committed to providing all students with the greatest educational opportunities possible in preparation for success after graduation.” Both EOU and OIT say they will provide more information on how to request an exemption or submit proof of vaccination. BPA adds power shut-offs to wildfire plan for Pacific Northwest By JEDIDIAH MAYNES Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Becoming windier and cooler Mostly sunny and pleasant Partly sunny and pleasant Breezy in the morning; some sun Mostly cloudy PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 73° 44° 69° 40° 68° 46° 76° 47° 73° 47° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 76° 49° 73° 44° 72° 49° 81° 49° 78° 50° OREGON FORECAST ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle Olympia 58/48 67/39 71/42 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 72/47 Lewiston 61/48 79/51 Astoria 61/48 Pullman Yakima 76/48 61/45 77/49 Portland Hermiston 65/49 The Dalles 76/49 Salem Corvallis 63/42 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 71/42 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 68/42 69/37 74/42 Ontario 88/51 Caldwell Burns 89° 66° 77° 51° 100° (1970) 40° (1980) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 64/42 0.00" 0.00" 0.11" 1.70" 1.43" 5.22" WINDS (in mph) 87/49 79/35 Trace Trace 0.24" 4.03" 7.86" 6.75" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 70/36 67/45 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 73/44 71/49 85° 64° 75° 51° 98° (1969) 35° (1991) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 62/45 Aberdeen 68/41 68/46 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 62/48 Today Sun. Boardman WSW 12-25 Pendleton W 10-20 Medford 79/49 WSW 8-16 W 7-14 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 76/34 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today New 5:07 a.m. 8:41 p.m. 3:04 a.m. 4:09 p.m. First Full WALLA WALLA — Energy officials could inten- tionally shut off power in some areas of the Pacific Northwest this summer to mitigate wildfire risks, regu- lators said, though it would likely be a rare event. Bonneville Power Admin- istration officials said in a release Wednesday, June 2, they’ve “added a public safety power shut-off procedure” as part of a wildfire mitigation plan “to protect public safety, life and property.” “This procedure is (a) preventative measure,” BPA Administrator John Hairston said in the release. “BPA is committed to taking appro- priate actions to prevent, mitigate and quickly recover from the devastation wild- fires bring to the people and communities we serve.” Officials said a shut-off should be rare and requires the evaluation of several conditions, including weather and the status of the electri- cal system, to determine a Don Ryan/The Associated Press, File Power lines from Bonneville Dam head in all directions in North Bonneville, Washington, in a photo from February 2010. Bonneville Power Administration officials said in a re- lease Wednesday, June 2, 2021, they’ve “added a public safe- ty power shut-off procedure” as part of a wildfire mitigation plan “to protect public safety, life and property.” high risk of wildfire ignition. BPA officials said they would require very dry conditions, wind gusts above 60 mph and relative humidity below 20% before a shut-off is enacted. BPA officials said taking a line out of service does not necessarily mean residents and businesses will lose power, although warnings may came in “compressed” times because of how quickly wildfire conditions can change. Rolling blackouts have been used in places such as California to help prevent wildfires. Experts are predicting a bad wildfire season for much of the West as extreme drought conditions have not let up. Last NATIONAL EXTREMES IN BRIEF Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 110° in Needles, Calif. Low 31° in Leadville, Colo. June 10 June 17 June 24 July 1 NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Wolves from Keating Pack kill calf Rescuers help two visitors to Tollgate area over weekend BAKER CITY — Wolves from the Keat- ing Pack killed a four-month-old calf on a private pasture north of Keating Valley last weekend, according to the Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife. A ranch employee checking cattle May 31 found the dead calf, which had been dragged under a fence. The carcass was about 12 feet outside the fence. The carcass was intact and had not been scavenged, according to an ODFW report. An ODFW biologist estimated the calf died 24 to 36 hours earlier. “The location, size, number, and direc- tion of tooth scrapes and severe underlying muscle tissue trauma are consistent with wolf attack injuries on calves. The depredation is attributed to the Keating Pack.” TOLLGATE — Emergency officials in Umatilla County reported two separate rescue efforts for people visiting the Umatilla National Forest near Tollgate during the weekend. An 83-year-old man was reported miss- ing Friday, May 28, near Tollgate, Umatilla County sheriff’s spokesperson Jodi Florence said. He was found by family members after 10 minutes and was unharmed, Florence said. On May 29 on the Zig Zag Springs Trail, a woman was reported to be injured while hiking. Dispatchers were alerted at 1:14 p.m. The woman was found at 3:15 p.m. Rescuers hiked into the area to reach the woman and brought her out. An air ambu- lance flew her to a hospital, officials said. — EO Media Group and Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s ice 50s 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 70s East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Copyright © 2021, EO Media Group 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low Circulation Dept. For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 800-781-3214 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays EastOregonian.com In the App Store: 80s CORRECTIONS: The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. 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